:This is from an earlier discussion on the Aquaria Central forum
I have never understood how a tank with healthy plants in nutrient laden water can have far less algae than a tank with zero nutrients in the water column. This is at the same time both true yet counterintuitive. Then I came across an article on plant allelopathy.
This concerns the process by which plants release chemicals that either benefit or inhibit the growth of their neighbors. Perhaps our healthy plants are somehow producing and releasing their own natural form of algecide.
Mr Barr responds:
If you add active carbon or do large water change= no allelopathic chemicals, thus there's the control. See any evidence that using activeated carbon or doign large water changes somehow...induces algae blooms?
My reply:
I'm still stuck on trying to understand why a planted tank with nutrient-rich water has far less algae than one without either. A shaky hypothesis: IF there is such a thing as a natural algacide secreted by plants, and IF it lurks in exactly the same place as living or dormant algae, then might water changes or carbon filtration reduce both concentrations equally, thereby leaving the balance bewtween the two essentially unchanged, although at lower concentrations?
Like so many on this forum, I would never think of questioning Mr. Barr. I am simply very curious as to the exact mechanism by which healthy plant growth defeats algae
Question
Would anyone care to comment? I am a new member and this is my first post. Thanks.
I have never understood how a tank with healthy plants in nutrient laden water can have far less algae than a tank with zero nutrients in the water column. This is at the same time both true yet counterintuitive. Then I came across an article on plant allelopathy.
This concerns the process by which plants release chemicals that either benefit or inhibit the growth of their neighbors. Perhaps our healthy plants are somehow producing and releasing their own natural form of algecide.
Mr Barr responds:
If you add active carbon or do large water change= no allelopathic chemicals, thus there's the control. See any evidence that using activeated carbon or doign large water changes somehow...induces algae blooms?
My reply:
I'm still stuck on trying to understand why a planted tank with nutrient-rich water has far less algae than one without either. A shaky hypothesis: IF there is such a thing as a natural algacide secreted by plants, and IF it lurks in exactly the same place as living or dormant algae, then might water changes or carbon filtration reduce both concentrations equally, thereby leaving the balance bewtween the two essentially unchanged, although at lower concentrations?
Like so many on this forum, I would never think of questioning Mr. Barr. I am simply very curious as to the exact mechanism by which healthy plant growth defeats algae
Question
Would anyone care to comment? I am a new member and this is my first post. Thanks.
Anyone who does science for a living, as opposed to "science" or SCIENCE, expects to be asked questions which might turn things on their head. If not, then they'd never question their findings and just keep going in the wrong direction. It keeps everyone honest and often leads to a "duh" moment here and there but gets us all just that bit further. Just read around a bit first and then ask your questions.